Show research increases in petroleum industry pittsburgh research in the petroleum industry has expanded per cent in the past 11 years dr william A hamor associate director of the mellon institute of industrial du research pittsburgh pa says in a survey reported in industrial du and engineering chemistry journal of the american chemical society the industry now ranks second in scientific investigation having advanced from the seventh place about gallons of gasoline were produced last year this output could be increased if needed to over gallons in in a short while according to dr hamor the tendency in motor fuels he points out is toward the production of single hydrocarbons or a group of three or four in order that the combustion in automotive engines may be precisely controlled dl octane rating motor fuels of and over are produced for aviation use and these products may be utilized in pleasure cars within five years dr hamor predicted in aircraft work a fuel system is wanted which will compensate for the drop in pressure at high al altitudes t 11 according to dr hamor research indicates that in pure hydrocarbon fuels the longer the straight chain part of the molecule the less the antiknock tendency of the compound hydrocarbons whose octane ratings are at least are often thought of as the ultimate in motor fuel possibilities it has been contended however that the only value of the octane number is for control and dional purposes that gasoline quality should be measured by practical performance rather than laboratory tests |